What's Hot: Compact, easy to use and works with almost every mobile device.

What's Not: Blocks front buttons that are not in the center on some devices.

At a glance the Stump Stand looks like an in-store display stand as it's simple with low profile. Once you put your tablet, ereader or smartphone in the stand, you will realize how perfect the stand is at holding your device in a comfy position for viewing to typing. The Stump Portable Stand is the simplest stand we've seen, yet it's very effective at what it does.

Design

The Stump Stand has a very compact form. Measuring 1.5" tall and 3.5" in diameter at the base, the Stump Stand works with any tablet, smartphone or ebook reader that's 0.5" thick or less, which include just about every major mobile device that's currently on the market. The Stump Stand has a metal base and weighs 9 ounces, enough weigh to hold large tablets like the iPad 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with ease. The rubber like exterior is super soft and feels nice in hand. It certain will not scratch or leave marks on your nice tablet, smartphone or ereader. The bottom of the Stump Stand is rougher to create traction on a table so that your tablet or phone won't slide while standing in the Stump. Though small, the Stump Portable Tablet Stand is eye-catching in bright colors including lipstick red, hot pink, yellow, green and black.

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Features

The Stump Stand is well designed and holds tablets steadily. The stand can hold tablets, smartphones and ereaders in either portrait or landscape orientation, and thanks to the rubbery surface, your device doesn't slip in the stand. The slot that holds the device has two footing positions, one puts the tablet in a more upright viewing angle and the other more leaning angle. The leaning position also helps accommodate tablets that are thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the iPad 2 up to 0.5" thick. And since there is some extra space, your thinner tablets can wear a slim case and still be able to fit in the stand. And since the surface is very rubbery and grippy, you can lay your device flat on the stand to create a viewing angle better for typing on the device.

To help with usability of your tablet or smartphone while sitting in the stand, the front of the tablet holder has a cutout for devices with "Home" or "Menu" button in the center, like the iPad 2. It does block front buttons that are not in the center on some devices though.

Conclusion

The Stump Stand has the simplest design yet works very well at holding large and small devices in 3 possible viewing angles. The stand is compact and easy to carry with you on a trip, and the footprint is smaller than some coffee cups, which means you can use it anywhere: on a table, on the plane, at a meeting, and in your car. We like the color options and the price is reasonable.